


Where Feral Beasts Call Home

by IWillBeYourPet



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: Broken Max, Broken Nux, Codependency, Complicated Relationships, Control Issues, Dom/sub Undertones, Eventually Furiosa will show up, Feral Behavior, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Max Whump, Max needs a handler, Nux Lives, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape Aftermath, The boys really just need to be home
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:40:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25831465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IWillBeYourPet/pseuds/IWillBeYourPet
Summary: **All WIPs on temp hiatus**Max left and Furiosa let him.  There were other things she had to do, things that needed her attention and she was a good enough leader that she let them take her time.It was 23 days until she was healed enough, until things were under control enough, that her thoughts turned to Max.  She put together a search party to find him. To bring him back.She never sent them, their orders had been to find Max and bring him back whether he wanted to or not, but she knew that wasn’t a search party.  That was something else. And it wasn’t who she was going to be.and 400 days later Nux returns with a feral Max, difficult to explain what happened to them.  What had reduced Max back to the feral creature he was when the warboys had first found him.Nux is managing him, barely, but knew they needed to come home.  Needed to come back to Furiosa.He just hopes it will be enough.
Relationships: Furiosa/Max Rockatansky, Nux/Max Rockatansky
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

Max left and Furiosa let him. There were other things she had to do, things that needed her attention and she was a good enough leader that she let them take her time.

It was 23 days until she was healed enough, until things were under control enough, that her thoughts turned to Max. She put together a search party to find him. To bring him back.

She never sent them, their orders had been to find Max and bring him back whether he wanted to or not, but she knew that wasn’t a search party. That was something else. And it wasn’t who she was going to be. 

So even though she wanted him back, thought he belonged there, belonged to  _ her _ , she let him go and if he returned it would be under his own power. She was sure it would be the only way he’d stay.

They knew the car was coming long before it could be viewed by the naked eye. Capable and Toast were already waiting, a horde of warboys at their backs, when the car limped towards the entrance of the citadel. 

Capable had been told who it was in the car but she hadn’t believed it. They had witnessed him and if he had lived, why hadn’t he come back. 

It wasn’t him that had brought attention though. It was the passenger, and that even from the distance it had been obvious he was injured.

Sure enough the car slowed and she shielded her face to look and her heart skipped a beat because that was Nux behind the wheel. It wasn’t a mistake. 

She moved towards them but Toast grabbed her arm and shook her head, “It could be a trap. Wait for them to come out.”

Nux watched them and glanced around, looking like he was making sure he wouldn’t be shot as soon as he got out. His hand reached for the door but then he paused, turning to his passenger and Capable saw him saying something even though the man appeared to be unconscious. Nux put his hand out to touch Max’s shoulder, the movement gentle, and then he turned to get out of the vehicle.

Capable immediately ran for him, and he caught her in his arms, the frown on his face sliding into a grin.

“I thought you were dead!”

“It’s a story.” He pulled back a little and his eyes shifted towards Max. “Later. Max is hurt, he needs help.”

Without another glance at her he pulled away and moved to the other side, indicating for a few war boys to help him. It was clear that Max was unconscious, and now that he wasn’t hidden in the car the blood seeping from his chest was prominent. It wasn’t the only place, blood leaked through the thigh of his pants and he was frighteningly pale. 

It kicked everyone into high gear and it was Nux that made sure he had Max’s head, steadying it as he was clumsily carried inside.

No one needed to tell them that they should go straight to the medic, and even the rambunctious war boys were quiet as they made their way there. Nux was talking to Max, whispering that he brought him back home and it would be okay, and if anyone thought that was odd they didn’t let it show.

Once he was on a table the room cleared, leaving him, Capable and Toast with the medic. Nux fussed with Max, making sure he was secure on the table whiel the man looked him over. His shirt was cut off and the pants followed leaving him in just a pair of thin shorts, Capable laying a small towel over the man for the sake of his modesty and Nux gave her a grateful grin. It probably wasn’t something that Max would have cared to much about before, but now it was different.

“Where is Furiosa?”

“They are sending word to her, she was out on a trade deal.” 

Nux nodded as he looked down at Max, chewing on his lip, and he was clearly torn about something. Finally he sighed and looked up, “I was hoping she would be here. She isn’t going to … I need chains, ropes. Something to secure him with.”

“What?”

“He’s going to need to be tied down when he wakes up, trust me Capable. There are things… please.”

Toast was shaking her head, “He looks half dead.”

“Please.” Nux grabbed on to Capable’s arms and met her eyes, “Please trust me, you don’t know what has happened to us since we left. He needs to be restrained.”

“He’s dangerous?”

“Yes, no.” Nux shook his head, “Only to himself. He’ll hurt himself.” He lowered his voice, he wanted as few people to hear him as possible, “He’s scared Capable. Like how he was when we first found him. Feral.” Nux stepped back to press his hand over Max’s forehead, stroking it and Capable hadn’t noticed the man moving until Nux had. It made her realize that there was something going on between them, something that hadn’t been there before.

“Nux?”

“He’s used to me, if it was just me and him somewhere he’d be okay. And I think Furiousa could calm him. Without her here though I don’t know if just me is enough. Please.”

Behind them the medic was working on him, cleaning wounds and putting in stitches, and though Max still was out he was starting to twitch.

Nux went to talk when there was a soft whimper from behind him that sounded like a wounded animal. He huffed and snapped out, all pretense of pleading gone as panic over took him, “Restraints.  _ Now _ .”

Capable was still trying to figure it out, but Toast heard something in his voice and was already moving, heading towards where the restraints were kept. They had been placed away, remenants of when people had been kept as blood bags, but they hadn’t gotten rid of them. No one talked about that, but for right now she was thankful.

On the table Max was starting to move more, a mournful whimper filling the room and Nux moved behind him, a hand on each side of his head. “Shhh, hey. It’s me. You’re okay. Shh.” 

Max came too all at once, eyes wide and panicked and he tried to sit up, shoving the medic away and kicking his legs where Capable stood near them. “Max,  _ no. _ ” There was the sudden switch again, the softness he had been talking ot Max with had changed to a sharp command and his hands tightened, gripping the man’s hair to shove his head back down.

Max’s eyes were wild but they settled on Nux and his body stilled, though he still whimpered. There was movement as Toast came back and Max tried to look but Nux nearly slammed his head against the table and growled out, “ _ No _ , Max.” His eyes searched the man’s face, “Who am I?”

“N-nux.” Max stammered out the name and the man’s hands softened, petting his hair.

“There’s my good boy.” Nux glanced up and gave Toast a tight nod when she held up the cuffs and ankle chains. 

It was too much to ask that it would go smoothly. As soon as there was metal clamped around Max’s ankle he went wild, ripping out of Nux’s grip, white showing all the way around his eyes, snarling at anyone that came near him.

“Tranquializer!” At Toast’s yell the medic grabbed a syringe of something and tried to get close but a closed fist caught him across the face and he went down hard, syringe skittering across the floor. Nux dove for it and then went straight for Max, trying to catch his eyes. 

“Nux!”

Max’s attention spun to look at Capable and that was all the distraction he needed. Nux lunged forward and shoved the syringe into the side of his neck. Max whipped back around to him, teeth bared and growling, hand going to his neck as he started to sway on his feet. 

Nux shoved into his space, his own teeth bared and swung out a fist to catch Max hard across the face, making him stumble and the whimpering start again. He flinched when Nux reached for him again, but he only pulled him close, helped settle them to the ground as Max’s legs gave out. He cradled him close , stroking his head, and whispering to him. 

“It’s okay, go to sleep. I’m here. It’s okay. Everything will be okay.” He pressed a soft kiss to Max’s forehead and eventually the man’s breathing slowed down, evened out, and he was unconscious.

Nux sighed and looked him over, the stitches they already had started were pulled out and he shook his head. “I should have just done that to begin with.” He glanced around at everyone staring at him and knew he was going to have so much to explain. “Can someone help me with him?”

The warboys were hesitant but the girls moved forward right away, helping pick him up and moving him to the table. The medic wouldn’t come forward until they had cuffed his hands down, ankled strapped down. Nux had tried to get them to strap his ankles down together instead of spread out, knew that it would upset Max, but then the medic couldn’t get to the gash on his thigh. After he was secured he noticed the contraption in Toast’s hand, dangling from her fingers as she was clearly unsure if it was needed. 

He moved jerkily, grabbing the muzzle out of her hand and chucking it out the door into the hallway before he moved back up to Max’s head, stroking his hair. 

“Nux, what is going on?”

Toast shook her head, “Let’s get Max stable and then we can talk. How is he?”

“He needs blood.”

Nux nodded absently, but when no one moved and there was silence he looked up, “Get him blood.”

“We don’t keep blood bags anymore Nux, you had to know Furiosa wouldn’t let that happen.”

“Right.” He licked his lips, “Right. Use mine.” He touched on his neck where the tumors used to be. “I’m not sick anymore.”

The doctor shrugged, “Don’t know if you are compatible.”

Nux chuckled and lowered his head to press against Max again, like it was a habit, “We are. We’ve patched each other up a few times since we left here.”

Nux put his arm out when the medic asked for it, and there was a tense silence in the room as the medic did his job.

Finally after what seemed like forever the medic sighed. “He should be fine, he’s lucky that cut on his thigh missed the artery. He has a few broken ribs.” His eyes trailed to the boxers that Max wore, and the blood stains on them that no one had mentioned up until now, “Are there… other injuries.”

“He’s okay.”

“It looks-”

“Leave it.”

The medic shrugged and stepped back and Nux glared at him until he moved away. “He is going to be out for awhile Nux, why don’t you come talk to us?”

“Sure.” He didn’t really want to leave Max’s side, but he knew that he owed them an explanation. “Let me check the cuffs.” He checked each one, making sure they were tight and would hold the man when he woke up. As he was securing them Toast covered Max with a blanket, sliding another one under his head. Trying to make him comfortable.

Once he couldn’t stall any longer he sighed and reached out to grab Max’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll be nearby, Max.”

In the hallway he leaned against the wall, a hand over his face as he got himself together. He only had a moment before the girls were hugging him, holding him close, and he let himself finally relax. They were home. 


	2. Chapter 2

“Things have been good here, huh?” Nux had a plate of food in front of him, and he couldn’t remember a time when food had ever been so abundant. “Max and I have not been so lucky.” Toast smiled as she watched him eat, but Capable looked shaken.

“If you were alive Nux, why didn’t you come back? It’s been… its been over 500 days.”

“I know.” He sipped at his water, “Max found me out there. I was nearly dead, would have been soon if he hadn’t found me. He could of left me, but he patched me up and when he headed out I went with him. He gave me the option, I’m sorry, he gave me the option to come back but I didn’t want to leave him by himself. I wanted to convince him to come back with me.”

“You couldn't?”

He tried to keep it upbeat, wanted to say it like it was nothing but his voice shook and he knew they would understand what it meant. “I was making headway. About 100 days out Max wanted to… he wanted to come home. We were captured on the way back.” He set down the food in his hand, his appetite gone. “I managed to escape with Max eventually. They had planned on putting him down because he was just…, but it gave me an opening. I hightailed it back here.”

Her voice was quiet, “You were… you were held for more than 400 days?” He nodded. They took that in, “What did they capture you for?”

He dropped the cup in his hand, only Toast catching it kept it from spilling. Even with plentiful water it was still ingrained in them not to waste it. Nux chewed his lip and kept his eyes on the table. “I ended up,” He cleared his throat, “They realized I had mechanic skills. I was basically slave labor, it wasn’t bad. I worked on mechanics, got knocked around a time or two but it wasn’t that different than being a warboy.”

Slowly it sunk in that it obviously hadn’t been  _ bad _ for Nux, but his reaction meant that something had been bad and that left Max. “What about Max?”

“It was worse for him. I don’t want to talk about it twice Capable, I can’t. When Furiousa gets here she will want to know, please, just let me wait until then.” He looked around even though it was just the 3 of them lowered his voice. “He has other injuries I need to check on. He won’t want anyone else there, he’ll panic. He deserves, uh, privacy.”

“Why don’t you do it now while he is out?”

He rubbed his arm because that would make the most sense, but shook his head. “No, he’s had enough done to him. Not without him awake, not without him saying it's okay. If he’s calm enough to talk to me, he will let you help. He just needs to be lucid enough to know he’s being told to.”

The girls exchanged a look and Toast gave him a half smile and a shrug, “So not to sound like i’m questioning this, but, the Max we knew wouldn’t take orders from you.”

Nux shrugged, because that was true. He thought about Max when he first met him and there was a pang in his chest. “He isn’t the Max you knew anymore, not really, not right now. Now that we’re home though, I hope that will change.” He glanced towards the med room, “I might be rough with him. Sometimes it’s all that gets through.”

“Why don’t you get some sleep?”

“Yea.” Nux pushed to his feet, suddenly aware of how heavy he felt. How exhausted. It was pure adrenalin that had gotten them this far and he was ready to crash. “I’m going to sleep in there with Max, so I’m there when he wakes up.” 

Toast nodded like she had already knew that, “Let me get a cot for you.”

“Thank you.” She left and it was just the two of them and he finally really looked at Capable. “I'm sorry, you know that you were the first person to ever care about me.”

She reached out to take his hand, giving it a squeeze. “We are family, all of us. You came home and you brought Max too. I’m glad you’re back Nux, I thought you were dead. I thought i’d never see you again. We’ve missed you both.” She touched his face, gentle, caring, just like he remembered. “Take care of our Max.”

He was relieved. He had worried, how she would feel, what she would think about him and Max, he hadn’t wanted to disappoint someone. The acceptance though, at least that ache in his chest eased. “I never imagined we could have a world with people like you, Capable.”

She leaned forward to kiss his cheek, “You’re one of those people now too, Nux.”

He scrubbed his arm across his face, fighting back tears. If there was a sniffle or two she graciously ignored that. As soon as they were back in the medical room all his attention turned back to Max, the worry lines reappearing. 

“Hey buddy, I’m back.” While he had been talking to Capable they had already gotten a cot set up on the side of the room and Nux grabbed it and dragged it right next to the table Max was on. Yawning he glanced at Capable, suddenly his eyes barely able to stay open. 

“Get some sleep Nux, we will be nearby. I’ll have someone stay outside the room that can get us if you need anything.”

“Thank you.” He watched her leave and rolled onto his side, reaching over to keep his hand on Max’s arm, so he would feel him as soon as he woke up. If he wasn’t worried about aggravating his injuries he would have just laid with him. “We’re home Max, it’s going to be okay now, I promise. I’ll take care of you.”

Nux was wide awake, sitting straight up and on the alert before he even knew why. It only took a few seconds though, Max was squeezing his hand, whimpering, big eyes on Nux. Nux could see Max’s muscles straining, trying to pull his legs together and he reached out one hand to lay over his thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Calm down.”

“We’re back? Nux, please. Help me.” He was nearly crying, and Nux touched his face.

“We’re not back there Max. We’re home, we’re at the citadel. You’re safe.”

Max tugged on the restraints like he was disagreeing, but he didn’t say so. Instead he just whispered, “Please.”

He nodded, “I’ll take them off if you promise me you will stay calm and listen.” 

“We need to get out.”

“No, Max. We don’t. We are at the citadel. Do you remember that?”

Max’s eyes searched the room, taking it in, and Nux let him take his time. Finally he centered back on Nux, “Furiosa?”

Nux let out a woosh of air in relief. He had been worried the other man wouldn’t remember at all. “Yes, Furiosa. She’s coming.” He gave the cuff a tug, “Can I take these off you Max? I need to check your other injuries and I need the girls’ help. Are you going to let me do that?”

Max looked down at his own body, at the bandaged leg and ribs and looked back to Nux. “Other injuries?”

“You know.” At that Max’s face shut down, a growl starting in his chest, and Nux didn’t skip a beat as he stood up in one smooth move, shoving the cot away. He flung out his hand, slapping Max hard across the face before he got right into it. “Growl at me like that again and see what happens Max.”

Clear conflict crossed Max’s face but Nux didn’t waver, he’d had a long time to understand Max and exactly how to handle him. When he was like this, when he was feral, he only responded to violence. To dominance. Attempting to coddle him made him think he had to be the boss, the alpha, and there was no controlling him then. It was why Furiosa had been able to tame him. 

Finally Max dropped his eyes, tension leaving his body, “Yes, Nux.”

“Good boy Max, I will keep you safe. Always. Right?”

“Yes.” 

He chuckled as he pressed his forehead against Max’s, Furiousa was going to murder him if she heard him talk to Max like that. “I’m going to ask them to get the girls and then I will undo the chains, but if you won’t listen to me they will go back on, okay?”

Max nodded, hand flexing. He kept his eyes averted but added, “Muzzle?”

“Never.” He stopped what he was doing to grab Max’s jaw, turning his head to look at him, “Not ever Max. I promise. No muzzles.”

At the door he asked them to go get the girls and moved back to the table, going for his ankles first. As soon as one was undone Max’s legs snapped together and Nux gave him a reassuring pat as he unlocked the other one. 

He had moved up to the cuffs when the door opened and Toast was there. He eyed Max to see how he was handling her in the room but there was recognition there. “Toast?”

She smiled at him and moved closer, but was smart enough to keep her distance. “You came home Max. Fury is going to be so happy. We missed you so much.” When it was clear Max was listening to her she moved closer, “Can I touch you Max?”

Instead of answering he looked to Nux, who did nod. “You can, he’s okay.”

She took that at face value and un did one cuff while Nux did the other one. He placed one hand over Max’s chest, careful not to press on his ribs. “Stay down, I know you want to get up and you can after I check on you.” There was an easy nod. “Can you go on your stomach? Quick. Just let me make sure you’re not too damaged, and then we will get you something to eat.”

“I’m not.”

“For me, please.”

Resigned the man rolled onto his stomach, flinching and letting out a pained huff at the pressure on his ribs. A glance at Toast and he was confident that she would know what to do. It might not be exactly the same, but she understood the situation. Understood what they were looking for, understood how to help rape victims.  _ Rape victims _ . “Oh Max, things are going to be okay from now.” He had refused to think the words the entire time they were captured, had treated it like it was any other injury even when he knew it wasn’t. 

He made quick work of removing the shorts, and Max didn’t need to be told to spread his legs. With Toast helped it took a short time to check. There was damage but nothing that needed stitches, nothing that needed anything other than being careful. 

When Nux patted his leg, Max rolled over instantly, sitting up and pulling his knees up, huddling into himself. 

“I have some clothes for him after he gets cleaned up.”

“I could use a cleaning.” Nux glanced at Max and then tilted his head towards him, “Talk to him, it’s still Max.”

Toast nodded and moved next to him. “Okay Max?”

He nodded his response. Nux helped him pull on the shorts to get to where they could clean up, and held his hand as they walked along. The running water was still a novelty and Nux wanted to know more about it once they settled in. Toast didn’t have to be asked to give them some privacy, she left two sets of clean(er) clothes and then it was just the two of them in the room. 

Even though he had taken to Toast’s presence without a fuss, the relief when they were alone was obvious. “Just us again.”

“Thank you.”

Nux nudged him into getting cleaned up and followed suit before answering. “I’m sorry Max, I know you didn’t want to come back here until you decided. I didn’t want to force it on you.”

“I’m happy we are here.”

They cleaned up and got dressed and Toast was gone, but a nervous looking worker led them to a room. There were two beds in the room, and a door that locked, and it was more than Nux could have ever asked for. There was a tray of food and Max went straight forward without asking, without checking with Nux first, and that was already an improvement. 

Nux used the time to look around the room and couldn’t help snort. Beds, real beds with blankets and pillows and plentiful food and water. The citadel had gotten soft. Made him wonder if they would even still fit in here. Though, if Furiosa still ran the place he was sure there would always be a spot for them. What a feeling to know that he would be accepted somewhere with certainty. 

“Remember the first time I met you Max, in that cage?” An annoyed grunt came from Max and that made Nux smile. Just a few hours back home and the old Max was already starting to come through. “I want that Max back.”

Max stopped eating to shrug, “Me too.”

Nux climbed into the bed, sliding to one side, ignoring the other bed. When the food was gone, Max licking the plate like he thought he might not ever get more, a stark reminder of more ways that they had been treated differently, the man finally moved towards the bed. Max eyed it and then there was a gruff, “Move over.”

It was testing though and downright playful for Max. “You can always sleep on the floor instead.”

Max’s mouth quirked as he climbed in the bed, settling in so they were facing each other, sharing warmth. Sharing safety. Nearly to sleep Max spoke up again, “We’re home?”

“Yea Max, we’re home.”

They were both almost immediately asleep, bodies close, hands touching. In sleep they curled closer and Nux had a fleeting thought of what would happen when Furiosa got back. 

Someone crying woke Nux up, and it took a few moments and Max making shushing sounds to realize that it was him. Max had wrapped an arm around him and pulled him tight against him, rubbing his back, pressing his face against the side of his. Nuzzling him like he was a scared animal. They both were so fucked up. 

He wasn’t even sure why he was crying. He had done such a good job holding it together for Max. He wasn’t an alpha, he was happy being a follower. When Max started to become unstable, he had to step up. Physically he had been healthier, stronger, and when they started to threaten to put Max down if he couldn’t be controlled he had done what he needed to do. He couldn’t wait to relinquish that job to Furiosa. 

“Sorry Max, I’m okay.” Rough fingers wiped away the tears on his face.

“I’m here for you too Nux, I’m here.”

Eventually they both fell back into a deep sleep wrapped around each other. What a pair they made.


End file.
